The most anonymous job in baseball once belonged to middle relievers, the offensive linemen of the national pastime.

They usually found themselves in the media spotlight only after blowing saves, and only a select few were ever considered for the All-Star Game. No one has ever made the Hall of Fame based on his impressive number of "holds," and when it comes to money, they're well behind starters and closers on the salary scale.

Casual fans tuning in to the postseason are seeing unfamiliar faces shutting down stars like Mike Trout and Jayson Werth in crunch time, turning October into a game of "Whozzat?"

Andrew Miller and Darren O'Day are busy making names for themselves setting up for Orioles closer Zach Britton, while Royals relievers Wade Davis, Kelvin Herrera and Brandon Finnegan are doing likewise for closer Greg Holland. Any debate over the magnified importance of the bullpen in modern-day baseball ended with the quick demise of the Tigers, who watched Joba Chamberlain and Joakim Soria implode, saving closer Joe Nathan the trouble.

The reasons for pitching dominance are varied — stronger arms, PED testing, etc. — but it's obvious you don't have to have a roster full of nine-figure superstars to advance far in the postseason, as long as you have a bullpen that can protect a lead, or at least keep the opposition in check until the offense ekes out a late run or two.

That's good news for both the Cubs, whose bullpen gradually improved during the 2014 season, and the White Sox, who know where they need to start when fixing the roster.

When it came to holding leads, the Cubs and Sox were simpatico in '14. The Cubs' bullpen blew 21 of 58 chances, while the Sox blew 21 of 57. The difference is the Cubs realized one of their biggest mistakes early and cut bait on veteran closer Jose Veras on June 10, after watching him post an 8.10 ERA in 12 outings. The Sox stubbornly held on to struggling free-agent signee Ronald Belisario (4-8, 5.56 ERA) and waited until July 3 to release Scott Downs (0-2, 6.08 ERA), who wound up with the Royals but was left off their ALDS roster.

It was difficult to watch the Sox bullpen constantly fritter away leads, especially for luckless starter Jose Quintana. Sox relievers ranked last the majors with an average of 4.51 walks per nine innings, and were third worst in ERA (4.38). The only postseason team with a similarly inept bullpen was the Tigers, who finished 27th with a 4.29 ERA.

I asked manager Robin Ventura if the Sox have had to blow up their bullpen this offseason.

"I don't know about 'blow it up,'" Ventura replied. "But you do want to improve on some things that were down there. I don't know necessarily how that's going to happen, but yeah, it's definitely an area we need to improve on.

"You see guys make progression, like Jacob (Petricka) did this year, and you never know what it's going to look like until you start the season and see where you're at with what guys."

The Sox saw promise in rookie Petricka and Zach Putnam, neither of whom was mentioned in spring training when the closer battle was between Nate Jones, Matt Lindstrom, Belisario and rookie Daniel Webb. Injuries to Jones and Lindstrom led to Belisario's failed opportunity, while control issues doomed Webb, who averaged 5.59 walks per nine innings, sixth worst among relievers with 40 or more innings.

So what's next?

The Sox could bid for a free-agent closer, such as David Robertson, or sign Miller to close, but they'll both be expensive. They could give Petricka another shot, hoping he improves on his control (4.07 walks per nine innings). General manager Rick Hahn said the Sox expect first-round pick Carlos Rodon to compete for a starting job but left the door open for the possibility of Rodon making the team out of the bullpen. If that happens, closer would make sense.

And when Jones returns during the second half from Tommy John surgery, will the job be his?

"He's going to have to fight for it," Ventura said. "First you want him healthy and as strong as he was previously. That's a pretty significant piece in the bullpen to have out there. You're hoping he's healthy enough to come back and have the same kind of impact he had before."

After a poor start, the Cubs bullpen finished in the middle of the pack (15th) with a 3.61 ERA, and featured strong seasons from setup men Pedro Strop and Neil Ramirez, along with Hector Rondon, who was promoted to closer after Veras flopped. Last winter, Cubs pitching coach Chris Bosio said Rondon, a Rule 5 pick from the Indians at the 2012 winter meetings, could be the replacement to departing closer Kevin Gregg, based on Rondon's finish in 2013.

But President Theo Epstein decided to take a gamble on Veras, a journeyman who went from bad to worse to gone. Bosio's choice turned out to be the right one. Rondon wound up with 29 saves, posting a 0.62 ERA in the second half with a 0.65 WHIP.

"Our bullpen showed that it can dominate at times in this division," Epstein said.

Epstein said the Cubs will keep former starters Ramirez and Justin Grimm in the bullpen instead of moving one into the rotation. The Cubs will be "very involved" in free agency, Epstein said, with the most financial flexibility he has had since taking over after the 2011 season.

But they appear set in the late innings, something the Cubs haven't been able to say since Carlos Marmol's career meltdown began in 2011.